1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a process and a system for managing a bowling centre.
2. Discussion of Background Information
Typically, a bowling centre comprises a plurality of bowling lanes, pin setting up machines at one end of the lanes and bowlers' bays at the opposite ends of the respective lanes.
In known bowling centres there are also overhead monitors, or videos, mounted above the lanes, and one or more consoles, or keyboards, at the one or more lanes to allow the users, or bowlers, to enter data and commands.
A known bowling centre typically also comprises an electronic control system which is designed to manage operations in the bowling centre and which, in particular, implements the score program which uses the signals at the pin setting up machine to calculate the score of the match and to display the score on the respective overhead monitor.
In its typical configuration, the control system comprises an electronic processor which manages the score program and communicates with a respective electronic processor at the lane, with the pin setting up machine and with the console, which is typically a keyboard, but which might also be in the form of a joystick or other suitable device situated at the bowlers' bay at the lane.
This type of configuration is one of the reasons why traditional bowling centres are unable to extend their capabilities to make playing bowling much more fun for the patrons of the bowling centres.
In particular, one problem felt by patrons is the difficulty of finding their way to the lane assigned to them for their game. Indeed, the number identifying a lane is normally located at the end of the lane itself, in particular at the pin setting up machine, and can be rather difficult to see from positions far from the lane.
In practice, identifying the lane where a game is to take place is not easy and can in fact be very annoying and time wasting.